AS it is possible some question may hereafter arise as to the claim of Irihia to Kanwao to Waitoa and the manner in which it was disposed of, I may state that I have all alone, steadfastly refused to recognise any: unsupported claim, and made it a point from the first to consult Haora Tipa with reference to claims brought forward to these lands. So with the claim of Rihia which has been all along ignored by Haora ; it appears that this claim was derived from some remoto Tapuna who formally owned or cultivated the land before it was taken by the Ngatipaoa and the occupants driven off as utu for the killing of To Apa o to Rongi. I brought up this claim repeatedly, but Hanra as steadfastly refused to recognise it, and also at the Taupe meeting Rihia, who appeared conscientiously to believe in the fairness of his claim, brought it forward himself at my desire, but without being ablo to prove it to our satisfaction, indeed had wo dealt with it separately it would have complicated matters, as we should have had Haora against us. A few days after our return, however, Haora Tipa came to the Thames, and as I felt that the claim of Rihia might hereafter crop up at an inconvenient time I suggested to Haora that a small payment bad better be made to Rihia through him as principal seller of this land. This he agreed to, and Rihia accepted £10 in extinction of his claim, promising that be would not hereafter make any claim whatever. All kinds of fictitious claims have since our return from Taupe been trumped up, but referring the pseudo claimants to Tipa, has completely shut them up, and in order to test the validity of any claim which may hereafter be made it will be only necessary to refer such claimant to Tipa.

I found it necessary to give Tarapipipi £25, he having some indirect claims on the Mohonui block not previously dealt with, but this payment should be regarded more in the light of a politic stroke than as the satisfaction of a claim ; also as he had some time ago made claim for a further payment on account of the Piako block, and as it was in his power to place—for a time at least—insuperable obstacles in the way of the settlement of these long-existing land claims, both on the Piako and Waitoa, I agreed to abandon the purchase of a block of land called Katihiha on the opposite side of the Piako to Mohonui, on which an advance of £80 had been made to him, ho foregoing any claim he might still have to the other blocks purchased. Adjoining this land and included within the same survey is a piece called Whataiti. On this land an advance of £40 was made some years ago by Mr. Whitaker, then Superintendent of Auckland, to Haora, Tipa. This purchase we also agreed to forego, lessening by so doing some considerable additional payments fur Waitoa, which Haora was expecting. I append to this report a schedule of the blocks of land pn.chased by the Government at Piako, which together with the sketch plan herewith will afford considerable facilities for understanding, what from the very meagre information in the possession of the Government has hitherto been a very complicated question.

Before having brought this report to a close, I should have stated that last week I visited Ohinemuri and obtained Moananui's signature to the Waitoa deed, and that I also completed the purchase of the Waemaro block, on which Hone to Kuti admitted an advance of £65 to have been made. I have also kept in hand a sum of k10 to be paid to Penetito for claims in the Piako. This closes all the purchases. A claim by Rota to Whituti for £35 I have ignored, as he appropriated that amount in the purchase of a portion of the Waitoa block, which I had to abandon. This is shown on the plan.

I have, &,c.

The Hon. the Native Minister, Wellington.   E. W. PucKET.

SCHEDULE OF BLOCKS PURCII.A.SED BY THE GOVERNMENT.—PIA.K0 AND WAITOA. RIVERS.

Piako block   ......   1   19 500 acres

•••   •••   ,

Otamatai block...   ...   ...   ...   2   950 „

Mohonui block   ...   ...   ...   ,..   3   2,580 „

Te Hina block ...   ...   •••   ...   4   500 „

Te Hotu block   ...   ...   ...   5   50

Aronga block ...   ...   •••   ...   322 „

Waemaro block   ...   ...   ...   600 „

To Nge block ...   ...   ...   ...   8   1,070 „

To Awaroa block   ...   ...   ...   ...   9   600

Mangakahika block   ...   ...   ...   10   510 „

Hangawera block   ...   ...   ...   ...   11   3,080 „

Waitoa block ...   ...   ...   ...   12   8,000 ,,

38,362 „

•

No. 10.

'   JAMES MACKAY, Jun., to the AGENT, GENF.RAL GOVERNMENT, Auckland,

New Zealand Native Land Agency,

Sin,—   Auckland 24th March, 1873.

I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of the 5th instant, requesting me to furnish a return of Native lands purchased by me, or under negotiation for purchase under the 34th section of " The Immigration and Public Works Act, 1870." I now beg to transmit the information required under the following heads, viz. :—

Return No. 1. "Blocks, the purchase of which has been completed."

Return No. 2. " Blocks for which negotiations are concluded, but deeds not executed." Return No. 3. "Blocks under negotiation, but price not finally arranged."